Stuff a Bus this weekend to support Blessings in a Backpack

Blessings in a Backpack, which provides food to children in three Fort Wayne Community Schools each week, is partnering with the Trailways Corporation for a "Stuff a Bus" event this weekend. From noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11, donations of new or gently used backpacks and/or $80 to feed a child in the program for a year will be accepted to stuff the Trailways bus at Staples, 4408 Illinois Road. Events are also taking place in Las Vegas, Indianapolis and Louisville to support programs in those cities.
In Fort Wayne, Blessings in a Backpack is offered to approximately 1,125 children in three elementary schools – Adams, Fairfield and South Wayne. In each of these schools more than 90 percent of the students qualify for the federally funded free or reduced-price meal program. Blessings in a Backpack picks up where the federal program leaves off, feeding children on the weekend. It costs only $80 to feed one child in the program, each weekend, for an entire 38-week school year.
"We are pleased to partner with the Trailways Corporation as we seek to ensure that each child in Fort Wayne is provided with enough food for the weekend so they can return to school with the fuel they need to grow physically and academically," said Mike Gouloff, president of Fort Wayne's Blessings in a Backpack board. "With support from our local community and corporations such as Trailways, we hope to grow the program to serve additional schools in Fort Wayne."

With nearly 30,000 students, Fort Wayne Community Schools is one of the largest school districts in Indiana. FWCS proudly allows families to choose any of its 50 schools through its successful school-choice program creating diversity in each school, including some with more than 75 languages spoken. FWCS offers seven magnet schools focusing on areas such as science and math, communication, fine arts or Montessori at the elementary and middle school level. In high school, students can choose from the prestigious International Baccalaureate program, Project Lead the Way or New Tech Academy as well as other rigorous academic and specialty training programs.